Beagles make good family pets, especially if you have a busy home with lots of people to give your Beagle attention and fun!
Beagles are compact tri-coloured scent hounds with great tracking instincts. They are intelligent, with a mind of their own, a lovely temperament and few inherited health issues. They were first developed in UK in 1830’s and became established by the late 1800’s with the first standard drawn up in 1890.
Beagles are playful, happy, curious and loyal companions and love nothing more than a busy house with lots of playmates. They are great with kids if socialised early and love the energy of a busy house. They make good watch dogs with a deep bark to alert you to visitors, but they can suffer from separation anxiety as they’re pack dogs, and might bark while alone.
They are intelligent and respond well to positive reward-based training, enjoying the challenge of learning new skills, but they need consistent messages that everyone in the house will reinforce.
Pet profile
A good family dog that is intelligent, happy, playful and compact in size, with a short smooth coat.
- Size: Medium sized 33 - 41cm tall (13 – 16 inches at the shoulder)
- Weight: 9 - 11.5 KG (20 – 25 Ibs)
- Life expectancy: 12 -15 years
Exercise and nutrition
They are an energetic breed known as a ‘nose on legs’ so will need frequent time outside every day to discover new scents, play and they enjoy frequent walks in new places with new scents. They have endurance and need more exercise than you might think, considering their size. Plan for at least 30-60 minutes walking every day and energetic play sessions several times a week. Beagles are social dogs so they’ll enjoy playtime or walks with other dogs enormously too.
They do get carried away with interesting smells and can run off if not well trained or on a lead! Their sense of smell is extraordinary and they are frequently used by Border forces to detect unwanted substances entering the country, so they love scent-based games and tasks.
Beagles aren’t picky eater and obesity is a common problem as they are quick to put on weight, so feed them a good quality small dog food twice a day and check their weight with your vet regularly to help you make sure he maintains a healthy weight.
Common health problems and illnesses
Buying your puppy from a reputable, licensed breeder who screens their breeding dogs for hereditary diseases is the best way to ensure your puppy is healthy. Beagles are generally a healthy, robust breed but there are some conditions you should ask your breeder if they have screened for. This information is not designed to replace a vet consultation so if you ever think your dog is ill please consult your vet immediately.
To ensure your Beagle has the best health care if they have an accident, fall ill or develop one of these conditions, take out dog insurance while your puppy is young, before they develop any problems.
This is a genetic disorder resulting in a Beagle being born with short outer toes on any paw, a flat skull with high set, creased ears, slanted narrow eyes and thick tight skin with a small scruff. These puppies tend to be small and walk stiffly as they have tight stiff muscles, but affected puppies may not show all these symptoms. Some puppies go on to develop seizures.
The condition can be detected if suspected, using a genetic test from a testing centre such as Animal Health Trust and all breeding dogs should be screened prior to breeding. Tests are not expensive.
Puppies with this disorder are usually put to sleep as the condition causes suffering. It is rare in UK but there have been cases reported. It is thought the gene causing the condition is recessive and so both parents would need to carry the recessive gene for the condition to show up. If you think any of your puppies might have this condition consult your vet immediately and screen your breeding dogs.
A deficiency in Factor Vll means the affected dog will have an impaired ability to form blood clots resulting in mild to moderate bleeding or bruising after a knock or cut. The condition is a genetic disorder caused by a recessive gene so for a dog to be affected it would need to inherit the recessive gene from both parents. Unfortunately, this gene is pretty prevalent in Beagles so when buying a puppy make sure the breeder has tested both parents for the gene. If only one parent has this recessive gene your puppy will not be affected but may carry the recessive gene.
NCCD is a genetic disease which affects the cerebellum in the brain. The Cerebellum is involved in the control of movement and so this condition is obvious as soon as puppies start trying to move around. Most puppies are euthanised if found to have this condition as there is no cure and they can’t control their movements.
It is an inherited condition controlled by a recessive gene and so both parents need to have the gene for the condition to affect your Beagle. As mentioned before, only buy a puppy form a breeder who screens their breeding dogs for this condition.
Lafora is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder which initially causes twitching and jerking movements. These then progress to seizures, and possibly temporary blindness, hallucinations shown through unexplained fear responses and an intolerance for sunlight. It is difficult to diagnose and difficult to screen for genetically. The condition is also difficult to treat but consult your vet if you think your dog might have this condition.
This condition is not limited to Beagles and seems to occur in family lines. What causes it is currently being investigated by the Animal Health Trust but is still unknown. It tends to occur in young dogs aged around 6-8 months old but has been seen in younger and older pups.
The condition is caused by a faulty immune response causing severe inflammation of the blood vessels supplying the brain and nervous system, particularly the spinal cord. Dogs with this condition have pain, a temperature, stiff neck and gait, reluctance to eat and drink and are lethargic. It might be difficult to spot and put down to an injury initially but is diagnosed using a spinal tap of the fluid around the spinal cord and/or an MRI scan of the brain. Treatment involves using steroids to depress the immune system and other drug treatments. If you think your dog might be suffering from this condition consult your vet immediately.
Fun facts
- Snoopy is perhaps the most famous Beagle of all time, created by Charles Schulz and loved around the world, but there are many cartoon Beagles and for me, Gromit gives Snoopy a run for his money!
- The Duchess of Sussex owns a Beagle called Guy and he probably lives the most lavish life of all Beagles.
- Charles Darwin sailed on the Beagle to discover new plant and animal species of the world. A fitting name for his vessel as Beagles are so curious!
- Beagles are used as food detection dogs at customs in US, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan and China. It is thought they can be taught to distinguish up to 50 different substances by their smell.
